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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 1997)
t ember 10,191 Wednesday • September 10, 1997 S The Battalion PORTS tor Thank you Sirr, may we have another barges Parker has learned to balance academics, football and fatherhood while at A&M plea bargain, ics and the enfoJ is quoted assa)ii| e Austin Americj 311 for Nixon, saidjj lea bargain, it ahead. We’re go j no contest in Dal ;e after he was an By Jamie Burch Staff writer hat would you consider an insurmount able task? Try moving halfway across the country at 17-years-old to play college itball. Compound that obstacle with having to se an infant daughterwhile trying to balance an eady challenging schedule of athletics and aca- mics. For one individual, this seemingly over- elming existence is reality. :ar who P°l* ce ci I Texas A&M junior running back Sirr Parker has had lid not face a •er )n was arrested rid he was at home murders andl; y involvement, however, linked behind Davis' id Yvette Johnson, s taken from tied to Davis./ i he found forai town to have been sodomize thegiii. m 1984, it was the ng spree in Austin tons University of ing siege by Chads j ■ rampage nearly! ned 16 lives, y authorities said r 17 blows to her foot section oflead ( r, Tyran, was truck | h the same pipe I 1 been hit six times nson told police te pipe against hisj was awake, hut he' asleep and hid un- ivoid any attack, previous criminal teen expelled from, 1 after he was acj r knife on a teacher.I appeals, attorney I mental problem I usive childhood i ({overcome this scenario, all before the age of 20. 1 After rushing for 312 yards as a true freshman, M A 1 BRANDON BOLLOM/The Battalion Parker faced a seemingly bright future as a running back destined to flourish in an A&M system heavily dominated by the gr ound game. But before he could look towards better things to come, Parker’s girlfriend informed him late that fall that she was pregnant. Instead of taking the easy way out, Parker as sumed responsibility for his actions. After the rela tionship between the two soured, Parker fought for custody and raised his daughter, Alashea, for the du ration of his sophomore year. “I don’t look at it as something I should be re warded for,” Parker said modestly. “It’s something most men do without thinking about it. Instead of looking for any accolades or medals for it, I just look at it as something I have to do.” Fortunately, Parker had a little help from his friends. Teammates D’Andre Hardeman, Toya Jones and Michael Jennings all resided in an apartment with Parker and his daughter last year. Hardeman said Parker’s situation made life interesting. “It was kinda fun,” Hardeman said with a smile. “Most of the time you won’t have four college athletes with a baby in the house. It was a learning experience for all of us. It just shows what kind of man Sirr is, to take care of his daughter while he’s in school.” Raising an infant daughter was just part of Park er’s adverse sophomore season. While the Aggies continued their slide for a subpar 6-6 record, Parker saw his carries per game drop. After rushing for a team leading 704 yards through 10 games, Parker spent the final two games on the bench, with just two carries against the University of Oklahoma and none against the University of Texas. Parker just shrugged and said the diminished load was a fact of life. “It was hard to tackle,” Parker said. “But I just had to go with the flow because I’m not a coach. I have to do what is asked of me. If sitting out is what’s asked of me then that’s what I have to do.” The California native made one last statement with an unlikely kick-off return against the Long horns. With the Aggies trailing 51-9 late in the sec ond half, Parker took the ball three yards deep in the end zone and traveled the length of the field. Parker said the lone Aggie highlight was a re minder to the coaching staff. “I just took it upon myself to take it out of the end zone to get my self-confidence back,” Parker said. “I wanted to show I did belong with the team and that I’m not a player that should be sat on the bench.” At season’s end, the highlight of the Aggie rumor mill was that Parker was looking to transfer to the University of Southern California. Unhappy with the number of reps per game, Parker was torn between staying near his daughter or returning to Los Ange les to help raise his younger brother. “I had a lot of personal problems back at home,” Parker said. “The off-season problems and not get ting the reps or playing at all led to frustration.... It was a little of both worlds.” But the Aggies are thankful Parker decided to stay. Against Sam Houston State University, Parker scampered for 49 yards and three touchdowns. Running backs coach Ken Rucker said Parker found the strength within himself to face his diffi culties head-on. “Last year was a difficult year for both Sirr and the Aggies,” Rucker said. “With any situation you just try to work problems out. With his carries diminishing and the season not going the way it was ... it was a soul searching. “The bottom line is he found out where he was supposed to be. God made a plan for him to be here and he’s going to make the best out of God’s plan. There’s no utopia. So, what we all have to do is work through and solve our problems.” With the dismal year behind him, Parker is again searching for a promising future. And though he said it is easier to take things one day at a time, Parker said he sometimes likes to dream. “I’m putting’ all my chips in my education,” Park er said. “But if the opportunity (to play in the NFL) comes along... I’ll run for it.” ■ * l - DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion After leading the Aggies in rushing in 1996, junior running back Sirr Parker considered transferring to Southern Cal. Big 12 newcomers turn in spectacular performances ’ i*: K» N t: i NOTEBOOK c > 3" Jamie Burch Staff writer ITS/ was reversed bytt 3urt found we did# ;ex,” Kirkpatricks® : about the stands® m to full professor ly return a telephs ed Press onTuesds r full professorinti* Ms. Travis was ref of Division of Mail ilty, a committees nd the collegedear icr final reviewerfd mber of articlesste A s promised by the Swami, the Big 12 early sea son record has taken a drastic turn. Week three proved to be generous to the second year con- I ference with nine wins and one loss. Take a gander at some of the spectacular performances provided by the lame duck non-conference schedule. OSU Freshman Sets Rushing Record Cowboy tailback Jamal Fobbs rushed for 217 yards and one touchdown in OSU’s 31-7 win over Southwestern Louisiana. Fobbs broke the freshman [ rushing record set by Thurman Thomas (206) i against Kansas State in 1984. Fobbs 7-yard run in the ; opening seconds of the second quarter gave OSU a 10-0 lead. More impressive about Fobbs’ feat is the fact the freshman broke the record at a school rich in running back lore — Thomas, Barry Sanders, and David Thompson. Bishop Crowns Northern Illinois Michael Bishop, the JUCO transfer who led Blinn to two consecutive National Champi onships, ignited Kansas State’s run for national prominence with an impressive 47-7 blowout of the Huskies. Having received the starting nod just four days earlier, Bishop finished the day 8-of-13 for 172 yards and four touchdowns. The new gen eral also added a 43-yard touchdown run en route to his 270 total offensive yards. Sooners’ Win Over Syracuse is “Special" Ironically, the same special teams OU used to shoot itself in the foot in its season opener pulled out the upset win over the Orangemen. Linebacker Cory Ivy blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt with no time left on the clock to preserve the Sooners 36-34 victory. Ivy also sacked Syracuse quarter back Eric McNabb on a two-point conversion at tempt with 5:08 left that would have tied the score 36-36. Sooner linebacker Travian Smith blocked two punts in the game. Smith’s second block was re turned four yards by Sedric Jones for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. OU rushed for 341 yards, including 239 by tail back De’Mond Parker. The Sooners attempted just six passes, completing three for 38 yards. Iowa State Vying For Conference Dweller With Darren Davis on the sideline with a stress fracture, the Cyclones (0-2) suffered a 46 point de feat at the hands of the Wyoming Cowboys. After Iowa State jumped on the board with an early 42- yard field goal by kicker Jamie Cole, the Cowboys posted four consecutive touchdowns for a 25- point halftime lead. From the one horse, dog and pony show known as the Iowa State backfield, the Cyclones managed just 59 yards on the ground to Wyoming’s 207. Fifty-nine would have been an average first-quar ter total for two-time 2000-yards rusher Troy Davis. And The Winner Is Oklahoma running back De’Mond Parker and outside linebacker Travian Smith along with Col orado strong safety Rashidi Barnes were named Big 12 Players of the Week for their efforts over the weekend. Barnes, the defensive player of the week, had a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown tandemed with a fumble recovery and four tackles in Colorado’s 31-14 win over archrival Colorado St. Games Of The Week #7 Colorado (1-0) at #13 Michigan (0-0) — Michi gan Stadium ■ The Buffaloes return to Ann Arbor, Michigan, the site of the final-play pass from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook to pull out a 27-26 triumph, Sept. 24,1994. This game marks the start of the Wolverines 117th intercollegiate football season. Michigan holds the Division-I record for all-time victories with a total of 764. UCLA (0-2) at #10 Texas (1-0) —■ Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium ■ This marks the first meeting between the two schools since 1971. The Longhorns, who lead the all-time series 2-0, defeated the Bruins in both ’70 and ’71 during coach Darrell Royal’s champi onship heyday. Texas second victory over UCLA paved the road to an undefeated 10-0 season and a Cotton Bowl berth. Jamie Burch is a senior speech communication major idated Kirkpatrick! e faculty member! 3 to UTSA, 12of2: of 13 female i from associate appk BREAK'98 :es guaranteed "ALL INCLUSIVE" 3 ARTY PAK LIMITED house irtments nager s Special >n in town, 5s! .ab king campus, take i Across the First left. 96-5707 rtel.net/treehouse/ Tired of Rec Center CROWDING? 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